“Today, we will see the hearts of the Israelites, a people who complained, who were not satisfied.’A complaining heart reveals a heart not satisfied in Him.’ Understand, that God has been gracious with His provisions and promises. God Satisfies.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“One of the greatest tools of the enemy is fear. Fear of what we know (the past, failures), what we don’t know (what could be). Fear is like a thick fog. Have you ever driven in thick fog before? What do we do? Usually we drive really slow, use our fog lights or low beams, and try our best to stay in our lane. Why do we do all these things? Because we are afraid of what could happen, we are afraid at the possibility of losing control. However, this is fear’s greatest deception, the ability to deceive us into thinking that we are actually in control. I don’t care how good a driver you are, you can’t control the other drivers around you. You can’t keep animals from running out in front of you. For some of us this is a scary thing, but here me this should be a freeing thing. The pressure is off us and lies squarely on the one who can handle it. God has a clear message for you today, that He is the Lord, He will fight you, and He will save. Above all else, remember that God Saves!” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“Significant life events that can be traced to a specific year and sometimes can be pin pointed to a specific day. For example, we have specific holidays in which we celebrate/ honor people who have made a difference or specific events that have shaped our nation. Likewise, all of us personally have specific days that we remember, this could be your birthday, a family member’s birthday, a close friend’s birthday, our spouse’s birthday, your anniversary, your child’s birthday, or some other significant event that has had a dramatic impact on your life. All of these holidays or personal days of significance serve as an intentional reminder to us which should cause us to remember, reflect, and respond in a certain way.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“Whenever you go into a fast food restaurant, inevitably you will hear these words, ‘Is this for here or to go?’ As we gather here today this is a question that we must ask ourselves. If we are God’s children who belong to His church, this means that Jesus has changed everything, the gospel is growing in us, and around us. Is this happening in your life? If so, then let’s ask the question again, ‘Is this for here or to go?’ This morning, we need to be reminded that, ‘The church goes.” We need to be the church gathered, but we also need to be the church scattered.’ So if the church is supposed to go, then what we need to ask, ‘Who is the church?’ ‘Why doesn’t the church go?’” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“Recently my little girl turned 2. I still can’t believe it! Where did my baby go? Answer is simple, they grow up. That’s what babies do, they grow into toddlers, they grow into children, they grow into teenagers, and they grow into adults. From the minute babies are born they are constantly changing, growing, and maturing. Why? Because they are alive, that’s what babies do, they grow up!

“When you plant a tree, a shrub, or flowers correctly in the ground what happens? They grow. We shouldn’t be shocked or surprised when this happens because this is what trees, shrubs, and flowers do. They are alive, they grow!

“The same principle applies in relation to the gospel. The gospel is a message of life. This morning we need to understand this, ‘The gospel grows.’” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“Over the next three weeks, we are going to revisit together the vision of Living Hope Bryan. Today’s sermon is from Ephesians 4:1-6, where we see that Jesus changes our perspective (vs. 1), the way we live (vs. 1-3), and our allegiance (vs. 4-6).” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“For me as a child growing up opening the gifts under the tree was something that I always looked forward to. Seeing presents with my name on it, especially ones that I knew were from my mom and dad. Sure I loved all presents with my name on it, but ones with my mom and dad’s name on it were different. They knew what I had asked for and they did not disappoint. God is the same way. He has given the best gift. What is that you are asking for? Purpose, Joy, Peace, or Security. You can truly find all of these things in the gift that God has given. Jesus is the ultimate gift.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“We need to remember that Christmas is about God making promises and keeping promises. Christmas is about the promise of life that is found in Christ. Jesus is the life of Christmas.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“What do we do in order remember things that are important if life? With meetings, date-nights, anniversaries, and birthdays we usually write them down in a calendar or plug them into our smart-phones. When we want to remember or encapsulate a special day we may take a picture for a keepsake. When we want to remember a vacation, often we may buy a souvenir, so we can recall events from that enjoyable time. As you can see we will remember things for a variety of reasons, most of which we deem as important. One thing we will also see is that God wants us to remember things that He deems as important. All throughout the Bible, God is asking us to remember. What does He want us remember? God want us to remember and obey what He says.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

Today Richard and Linda Blount have come to talk about their missionary work in Thailand! Visit here for more information: www.southernthaiteam.com

“Last week we saw a picture of an unrepentant heart in the life of Pharaoh. Pharaoh had been afforded every opportunity to acknowledge the God of the Israelites and Moses as the one true God. He had heard the clear and bold message from Moses and Aaron. The pharaoh had seen the finger of God at work through 9 different plagues, but still we saw a heart that was intrinsically wicked and rebellious towards God.

“In the end, God would visit Pharaoh and all of Egypt one final time, this time there was no offer on the table, this time God would deliver His judgment, this time they would pay the price for their defiance towards God with death. However in the midst of this great tragedy and sorrow there is great news! By His grace, God will show favor to His children.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

Last week we were reminded that God is sovereign whether we accept it or not. This means that God’s supremacy is not based on what we think, what we feel, or what we say. This is not something that is negotiable. He is God! He will not change! — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

Due to technical difficulties the sermon audio is not available this week. The sermon notes are available for you here:

EXODUS: RESCUED BY GOD – Exodus 7: 1-13

Chapter seven begins much like chapter six began last week, with God responding to Moses in the midst of doubt which is a result of the rejection he has experienced from the Israelites and Pharaoh. Exodus 6:30,

30 But Moses said to the LORD, “Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

Moses again is measuring his level of success based on the response of people. Moses consistently falls back to his lack of ability and his lack of results whenever he seems to fail. For many of us, this is the story of our lives. We live life the same way each day, stuck in the status quo, stuck in a cycle of life, and distracted by our problems. All we know how to do is make excuses on why things are the way they are and we fail to recognize what God is trying to say to us, “It’s not about you.” May I remind you this morning that God not Moses is the main character of not only Exodus but of the rest of the Bible. Sometimes however, we try and insert ourselves into the lead role because we want control. I have seen this movie many times and it has been remade over and over, and the result is always a box office flop. Remember this; God’s sovereignty reveals His supremacy, our need to be totally obedient, and dependent on Him.

I. God’s Sovereignty is for His glory (vs.1-5)

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, 4 he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

In these five verses God references Himself fourteen times, (8) times using the pronoun, “I” and (5) times using the pronoun “my”, and once as the “LORD”. Everything that God tells Moses in these five verses is much more than a confidence booster for Moses, this a reminder and unveiling of His Sovereign rule over all. Look at what God tells, Moses.

A.) “I have made you like God to Pharaoh”, this does not mean that Moses has received a divine nature, rather that Moses has been given divine authority to be God’s representative in the presence of Pharaoh.  Moses and Aaron were walking into the presence of Pharaoh locked, stocked, and barreled. Are you walking in divine authority of the Lord? Many of us are firing blanks, which makes a lot of noise but never hittting any targets.

B.) The reason we are firing blanks is because we are not doing everything that God has commanded. Disobedience removes the divine authority from the believer’s life. God told Moses, “You are to say everything I have commanded.”

C.) Notice what God says next, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart” Why is God doing this? This doesn’t make sense? Many of us may read into this as being cold-hearted or unfair. Romans 9:17-18 says,

17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

So from these verses we begin to see that God is going to get the message out to the world about His greatness. How does He do it? Well, He allows Pharaoh and Egypt to obtain super-power status, He allows them to grow confident in who they are and what they have accomplished, then God hardens the heart of Pharaoh, why you may ask? The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was to provide a clear demonstration of God’s power and to announcement to all the earth that He is God. God was Sovereign each time Pharaoh rejected, denied, and dismissed the Word and power of God. All this rejection, denial, and dismissal of Moses each time was only going to intensify the message of the greatness of God because in the end there would be no doubt that by the hand of God these things happened.  Think about this for minute, God  takes out a world-superpower with 2 guys and a stick. This is how mighty, sovereign, and glorious He is,

5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.

What does this mean for us? This should totally revolutionize the way we live. If we truly we believe that God is this Sovereign, our prayers will be different, our interactions with people will be different, and by His mercy and grace our response to Him will be different. How will you respond? How did Moses and Aaron respond?

II. God’s sovereignty should lead to obedience (vs.6-7)

6 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

After Moses and Aaron hear the word of the Lord they obey it. Do we look for loop holes in the commands of God? Follow the example of Moses and Aaron and do just as the Lord commanded. What is it that God is asking of the LHB corporately? Are we obeying it? What is God asking of us individually? Are we obeying it? Some of us may not openly disobey/rebel against God in a way others can see, but privately we disobey/rebel. Some of us quietly rebel God by not being regular attendees of church (Are you sporadic at best in your attendance?), some by not being involved within Community Groups, some by not being involved within our Corporate Times of Prayer, some by not being involved within our Community Outreach efforts.  We also see that the text reveals the age of Moses (80) and Aaron (83). What does this tell us? Age is nothing but a number when it comes to serving God, we have no excuse. As true followers of Christ, we don’t expire, retire, or fade out. We continue to do what God has asked of us, until He says we are done.

III. God’s sovereignty will reveal where our allegiance lies. (vs. 8-13)

8 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said

In these final verses, God tells Moses and Aaron what Pharaoh is going to say, how they should respond, and finally what Pharaoh’s response will be.

God tells Moses and Aaron that Pharaoh is going to ask you to perform a miracle, so what you need to do is throw your staff and it will become a snake. Pharaoh is not asking for proof that there is a Sovereign God, he wants to discredit the existence of God. We know this to be the case, by how he responds to the miracle he sees. What does he do? Pharaoh soothes his conscience, by having his magicians perform the same thing. Again, God shows His sovereignty over this cheap imitation of His power by having Aaron’s staff eat their staffs.  Yet, even after this miracle of God, Pharaoh did not believe just as God had predicted.

Some of us are just like Pharaoh in what believe. Pharaoh believed in himself and trusted in the power of his magicians more than the Sovereign God. Like, Pharaoh we too trust in our own acts and power. How so, you might ask? We trust in prayers that we pray, we trust in that we serve people in the community, or we trust in our attendance at church.  These are all things that believers and non-believers can do. Matthew 7:21-23 says,

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

As you can see from these verses and from Exodus people can look and act like Christians but not true Christians at all.

In the end we will see that Sovereignty of God will win out. He will not be mocked or deceived.  My prayer this morning is that you would respond to God with obedience in whatever He is asking of you. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes

Last week we were reminded that obedient living will result in opposition. We saw Moses be obedient to God in going to Pharaoh to ask for the people of Israel to be set free. In the eyes of Moses the plan backfires in his face. First, the Pharaoh does not let the people go. Second, Pharaoh demands bricks to be made without straw which leads to further oppression against the Israelites. Third, Moses and Aaron are blamed by the Israelites for the current predicament that they are now in. This was not the results that Moses was hoping for. We ended last week with Moses struggling with doubt and asking for answers as to why God had not rescued His people. Like Moses, we have all found ourselves in a situation similar to this when we were expecting one thing, but something entirely different unfolds. Often when situations such as this happen in our lives or the lives of others, we have probably uttered or been told, “God is in control.” What does mean? This is in fact a true statement, but specifics can be given to remind us that God is indeed in control. Today, we will see God respond to Moses’ doubts and questions. By His grace, He gives Moses specifics to show that He is in control. Remember this, God knows and will show His complete sovereignty over everything even when things seem out of control. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

Last week we saw that God’s sovereign grace should compel us to obedience and worship. We were reminded through the life of Moses that there is only one kind of obedience, which is total obedience. By the grace of God, Moses lived to share this valuable truth with us, when his ministry was in jeopardy of ending even before it ever really started because of disobedience. Given a yet another opportunity to be obedient, Moses shares everything with his brother Aaron and the elders of the Israelites that God had commanded. The end result of Moses’ obedience was belief and worship. Chapter four ends on a high note with God’s deliverer and prophet being completely obedient and the elders of Israel worshipping God. As we walk in obedience to God we need to remember this, “Obedience to God will be met with opposition, therefore we must trust in what God says instead of what we see”. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Throughout this passage we can see a God who is continually wanting to reveal Himself and to empower His children to be even more than they think that they can be all for the purpose of being used by God to rescue people from their misery and slavery all for the purpose of glorifying Him. He does this in tangible ways. God wants to be real to us so that we will not doubt Him. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

God is sufficient. We can trust in God’s name (vs13-15). We can trust in God’s promise (vs16-18). We can trust in the power of God’s hand (vs19-22). — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

God answers our cry for help with compassion. The passing of time alone will not change your circumstances (v.23). People alone will not change your circumstances (v.23). God uses our circumstances to turn us to Him (v.23). God is intimately aware of our cry for help (v.24-25).

To our listeners, we are sorry to say that only the last bit of this sermon was recorded. Please see the attached PDF for the sermon notes. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

God is faithful in keeping His promises. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

Unity is not something we can achieve, but in a person in whom we must believe (Jesus) — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“Today, John repeats a message he shared in 1 John 2. Yet, in context we need to see that living a life of love with other believers will also protect us from the false teachers that will come into our lives. Last week we were challenged to test the spirits, to compare what people say, or what we feel or think against truth. Here, in adressing the Gnostic, mystical heresies of the time, John tells us to focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ and to live in love with one another.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“I have no doubt that John got the love of Jesus. There are things about John’s life and his writings that preach loud and clear that he was so confident of the love of God through Jesus. Truly, he called himself the “one whom Jesus loved” and I believe it is because he got it. So impacted by God’s love, so forever changed, so confident in the love of the Father that it changed everything about him, especially the way he loved others. As we’ll see, you cannot have known the father’s great love and have hatred in your heart for another. Just like you can’t serve God and money, you can’t be living in the great love of God and at the same time in hatred.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

This morning we ask ourselves the question, “Do I look like a child of God?” We will see in this morning’s passage some of the characteristics of a child of God and the motivation behind why we follow our heavenly Father. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

To follow Jesus means that we give up our life and give it to Him to do with whatever He pleases. To many that is just too high of a price to pay. They walk away unwilling to pay the price. Others say that they will follow Jesus but later decide to go back to what is comfortable and familiar when things get tough. Both of these groups of people will miss eternity because they do not understand that a relationship with Jesus is worth more than anything they would ever have to pay. The christian walk with Jesus is not an easy road, and Jesus wants everyone of His followers to know that and to count the cost before deciding to follow Him. The cost is great but the reward is even greater. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

The Status of the Man (v.16) – This story is in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and from these passages we know that this man was a ruler, a person of influence, rich, and possibly a Pharisee.
This man was elite, but empty. This man had status but was not satisfied.

Question: Is this us today? Are we hiding behind our riches or our religion? — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“In Luke Chapter 9, Jesus commissions the disciples and prepares them for the journey. How does He prepare them? (Read vs.1-6). Secondly, we see that Herod the man responsible for death of John the Baptist is seeking Jesus. Next, we see the Feeding of the 5,000. This is followed by Jesus questioning Peter on his identity. Finally, Jesus predicts his death and resurrection. Which brings us to the passage for today. So in summary, we see that Jesus has told the disciples that they are going to be homeless, that He is being sought out by a murderer, in the middle of this chapter we see a miracle, followed by intense questioning of motives for following Jesus, and the prediction of His death and resurrection. Which brings me to this question…”

“How many of you want to and are willing to follow Jesus? This is what Jesus is asking in theses verses.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

This morning we are completing our series “God Is Faithful” and the book of Jonah. We have learned through Ruth and Jonah that our God is faithful. We can trust Him to provide, protect, pursue us even when we are running from Him. We have seen that God is in control. He provided food and a husband for Ruth and a storm and a great fish for Jonah. God never gives up on His children and will do whatever it takes to care for us. God’s patience with us and His great compassion for us is unexplainable. Even when we do not deserve it God still loves us and cares for us. Similar to our Mom’s. Recognize moms. Moms are a beautiful example of God’s Grace.

This morning as we continue where we left off last week we will get to see that even in Jonah’s ugly self centeredness God still has not given up on teaching him that God’s great compassion and love is not only available to him but to others as well and even to his enemies.

This book, this series and all of our life is all about God. His love, His compassion, His will, His plan and His ways. The book of Jonah started with God speaking and it ends with God speaking and having the last word in the story. God will ultimately have the last word in every story — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“This morning we are here to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The resurrection is the exclamation point to the greatest story ever told: The Gospel. At every point of this story, we see a God who loves us and wants to do whatever it takes to have a personal relationship with us. This story should have an impact on every aspect of our lives and should motivate us to live wholeheartedly for Christ who gave His life wholeheartedly for us. What does the resurrection mean to you?” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“It is exclusively by the hearing of God’s word that people can have faith (Romans 10:17 ‘So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ’). So whatever bent you have towards evangelism (and they can be polarizing issues in the church) you have to preach God’s word for people to be able to repent and believe. Relational evangelism, Soap box on the street corner, at work, passing out tracts, etc. You have to get to God’s Word, specifically the message of Christ.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“Last week we saw that Jonah thought that he could run from God, but as we will see today, when you are God’s chosen one you can’t run from God. When you finally turn to Him in repentance He has more than enough Grace to cover all of your sins. I pray that we will heed the words of Jonah as he recognized that, ‘Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the Grace that could be theirs.’” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

Get to know our pastoral candidate and his family! — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Have you ever had a time in your life when you have questioned the character of God? When you seemed to put God on trial because of the circumstances of life or a crisis of belief based on something God has asked of you? In actuality, what we are really questioning and putting on trial is our trust and faith in our relationship with God. This is where we find Jonah.

Today we will see through the life of Jonah, that even when we are unfaithful, He is faithful. Even when we are disobedient, He is sovereign and full of grace. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“This morning we are continuing in our series ‘God is Faithful’. We are looking at the story of Jonah. In this story we will see God’s faithful pursuit of a running prophet and a wicked people. God’s grace and genuine love for all people is amazing and hard to understand at times but that is what makes our God great. He is faithful to speak to us, discipline us and faithful to forgive us when we turn to Him in repentance. He is a God that we can trust!” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“All the major religions in the world apart from biblical Christianity are based on the notion that righteousness is gained by good works. At their core is the idea that people can be good enough either to merit the favor of some deity or at least to enjoy a happy afterlife. Therefore in one way or another, all false systems of religion teach that redemption hinges on human ability, human works, human willpower, self-atonement, or the supposed basic goodness of humanity. Naturally, then all the of them are compelled in one sense or another to deny the totality of mankind’s depravity.” (Pg84 PCCT – MacArthur)

“As good protestant, Southern Baptist, evangelicals, I think we generally get the idea of ‘by grace through faith’ in salvation. But what about our sanctification? Do you believe that once you are saved you are on your own?” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

As we finished Ruth we saw a picture of a faithful God who pursues us, provides for us and redeems us- delivers from our slavery. We saw in the life of Boaz (an ordinary man) a picture of Christ. What we saw was a picture of the Gospel in action. And as we continue in seeing the faithfulness of God I do not want us to miss God’s faithfulness to His children in giving us the Gospel. Not only for our salvation but also as the tool for us to be used by God to share the “good news” to a lost and dying world.

Next week many of us will be serving others in a variety of different ways but we must remember that although people may need tangible things like housing, clothes, money, fellowship and friendship, what we all need is to be reconciled with a Holy God so that He can provide all of those things for His children. Temporary vs. eternal. My resources run out. We need to be mindful that God has given us the greatest tool of all in the Gospel so we need to not be ashamed to use it. In Romans 1:16 Paul said “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.”

This morning we will be looking at the Gospel from the book of Romans. Roman’s road to salvation. Salvation is the overall theme and Paul’s greatest desire for others. In our vision statement. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“Ultimately the lesson for you and me concerning plans is that God’s will is always best. He wants and desires only what is best for us. (Foundational, vital that we believe that.) In Ruth and Naomi’s time, the time of the Judges, self-centeredness and selfishness led men’s plans. Judges 21:25 says it perfectly: ‘In those days, Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.’ And that is what many of us do.
“We have already seen that Ruth, Naomi and Boaz are different because they have placed their faith and hope in a faithful God. And as we begin to trust God and live our lives in a way that show it not only do people notice but God notices as well. God is pleased when we step out in faith and trust Him.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“Where we have been. Israel’s unfaithfulness (Time of the Judges) – our unfaithfulness; God’s faithfulness towards us – 2 Timothy 2:13 ‘if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.’ Though God requires a response from us, his faithfulness doesn’t depend on ours (thank God!). God brought them low, but they followed him and now, as we’ll see today, he is going to move and provide richly! I hope you see God’s provision through this series. God is faithful. He has not promised to provide your every want but your needs.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

Duet 30:19-20 – This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. §

“Life is full of choices, many that have lasting consequences. Today I am asking that you choose to trust our faithful God with every area of your life. My prayer is that we will learn from Naomi and Ruth what we need to do to choose to trust our faithful God. He is worthy to be praised and worshipped!”

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“Do you trust God? Before you rush to answer that question, it may be wise to examine your life. I think most of us would be quick to say, ‘Yes, I trust God.’ But that may not be true. Perhaps a better question would be, ‘Based on your daily life – your choices, your worries, your fears, your hopes – in whom do you trust?’ I think it’s a better question because most of us would be quick to say, ‘Yes, I trust God,’ yet our lives often say something else. Our lives often say, ‘I trust myself,’ or, ‘I trust my circumstances,’ or, ‘I trust my feelings.’ Whatever they say, many times our lives do not say, ‘I trust God.’

“The question of trust isn’t unique to us. Every person going back to our very first parents, Adam and Eve, has had to answer this question. And the people we will encounter in the book of Ruth are no exception. In the first chapter of Ruth, we’re going to listen as this question is answered again and again:

“We’ll hear the nation of Israel say, ‘We can’t trust God.’ We’ll hear Elimelech say, “I can’t trust God.’ Then finally, we will hear Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, say, ‘I will trust God.’

“Let’s listen to these people answer the question, ‘Can God be trusted?’ and then answer the question for ourselves.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

This is a recording from our church’s annual meeting. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Last week we talked about stewardship, which is how we are taking care of the gifts God has given us. We need to understand what missions are and what it means to be “on mission”. Is your idea of being on mission going to other countries to share the Gospel? If so, you should know that there are many other ways to be “on mission”. — 10:30am Sunday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“A steward is a person employed to manage another’s property. A person whose responsibility it is to take care of something. Psalm 24:1 ‘The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;’ (NIV). There are practical examples of areas that we have stewardship over: relationships, spouse, kids, possessions (money, cars, houses, boats, etc), thoughts, what I look at, listen to, eat, drink, our prayer life, the image of God, dads (the image of God as Father), leaders (the people we’re leading), me (this sermon), and our neighbors. This morning we will consider three areas of stewardship: time, money, and God’s word. Consider the impact that each of these things has on your life. What do these things tell others about you? What do they say about your beliefs? The gospel?” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

“A steward is a person employed to manage another’s property. A person whose responsibility it is to take care of something. Psalm 24:1 ‘The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who
live in it;’ (NIV). There are practical examples of areas that we have stewardship over: relationships, spouse, kids, possessions (money, cars, houses, boats, etc), thoughts, what I look at, listen to, eat, drink, our prayer life, the image of God, dads (the image of God as Father), leaders (the people we’re leading), me (this sermon), and our neighbors. This morning we will consider three areas of stewardship: time, money, and God’s word. Consider the impact that each of these things has on your life. What do these things tell others about you? What do they say about your beliefs? The gospel?” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes Sermon audio

“In the month of January we will be using our mission statement as a focus and a foundation as we talk about certain issues that scripture shows are important to our God so in turn should be of importance to us. Prayer, stewardship, missions, relationships and encouragement. If allowed to our mission statement could become a slogan that sounds catchy but lacks in power. Birthed out of what is called the Great Commandment I believe that we not only have a very powerful and biblical mission statement but one that is scripturally a non negotiable one. ‘Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is like this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ Everything we do should be motivated out of our love for God and our love for people. Today we will be talking about Prayer. I believe that nothing shows God that we love Him more than a powerful and consistent prayer life.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

“The Christmas season is a time for us as Christians to celebrate the birth of our amazing savior. The impact of what God did through that birth is the most amazing thing that we could ever imagine. Out of love for us God Himself left heaven and came to earth to rescue us from the penalty and power that sin had over us. The reality of that is what makes this season and all of life special.   It should also motivate us to want to worship our God and share the good news with those who don’t know our savior. Christmas should be all about Jesus. This morning we are going to continue in the spirit of Christmas by looking at the birth of Jesus and the impact that it had on people and we will look into God’s word and get a picture of who Jesus is and ask ourselves what impact has His birth, life, death, burial and resurrection had on our lives.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

In his book, Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper spends a chapter entitled “Boasting only in the cross” where he treats the very topic that we are going to discuss this morning. Piper remarks that a statement like this is like saying only rejoice in the electric chair, gas chamber, lethal injection or lynching rope. The cross is (one of, if not the) most excruciating way that man has devised to kill. In fact the word excruciating was coined to describe what death on a cross was like. This morning we are going to talk about rejoicing in that horrible form of execution, because Christ endured it to bring us salvation, so that we may be saved. Piper also remarks on Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, The Cost of Discipleship. Dietrich said “The cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise God-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him to come and die.” Bonhoeffer was later martyred for his faith in Nazi Germany.

That is where we are going to end this series, at the cross, because that is where we all find our beginning. Over the last semester, we have learned that there is no other gospel by which men may be saved. We learned that the gospel is something we have to contend for, especially in our own churches. We have learned that we are justified by grace through faith and not work, that the law was a schoolmaster to guard us until Christ came, that we should live by faith and not by the law, that we are children of the promise and that the promise is of faith in Christ, we are adopted into God’s family as sons and daughters, that Christ has freed us so that we could be free to live by the Spirit and not the flesh, walk by the Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit in our personal lives and in the church. Last week we talked about bearing one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ and that if we sow into the flesh we will reap of the flesh, but if we sow into the Spirit, then we will reap eternal life. Through all of this we have seen that we will be persecuted and that we will have to stand firm in the truth that we have received. Today we are closing out the book and we will take a look at some of the things that Paul considered worthy of writing with his own hand as he ends this letter to the Galatians. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

For the past three weeks, we have considered Jesus’ goal for us – freedom. That freedom includes freedom from dead religion and freedom from sin. Last week, we considered how to live in freedom: we live in freedom by walking in submission to the Spirit. This morning, Paul is going to help us think through how we walk by the Spirit in one particular arena – the church. We will learn that we are to walk by the Spirit in the church by bearing one another’s burdens and by sowing to the Spirit, which includes doing good to all as we have opportunity. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

I hope that the last two weeks have been very freeing and encouraging to you. We have learned that through our faith relationship with Jesus Christ we are free from trying to earn our way into a favorable relationship with God by what we do in the way of our religious acts and even our service to others. We learned that God is the one who initiated the reconciliation between sinners like us and Himself, a Holy God. He literally has brought us from death to life! Eph.2: 4-5 “But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions – it is by Grace you have been saved.” We can trust Him to lead us with His Holy Spirit. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Last week in Galatians 5:1, Paul said “It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” The yoke that Paul was addressing was the yoke of religion and religious acts to gain favor with God that was not freedom at all.

Today we are continuing in our theme of “True Freedom” as Paul reminds the Galatians and us that God has called us to be free. It has always been God’s desire that His children walk in freedom from the guilt and penalty of sin and from the power that sin has on us to keep us from living the Holy and loving life that Gods desires for His children and that deep down in our Spirit each of desire for ourselves. Listen to Paul as he cautions, exhorts and reminds the Galatians and us of what we are free from and that we are called to be free to live loving and Holy lives. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Here is an overview:
1. Christ delivered us from the power and authority of sin so that we could live as we ought.
2. Works cannot and do not add value to your salvation.
3. Run to the cross of Christ the offense that brings salvation and persecution.

Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Remember last week when Allen Duty was talking about the Bible being written plainly so that we can understand it? – If he had the hardest section of verses, then verse 1 is the easiest.

Christ set us free, so that we would be free.

That’s pretty much it, but let’s look at what that freedom looks like and what it’s for. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

The Apostle Paul was a theologian. He studied God as God had revealed Himself through the Old Testament, through the person of Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit as He wrote to honor God and strengthen the church. Our God has chosen to reveal Himself most clearly through His Word, which is an immeasurable blessing to us, the church. God has revealed Himself through plain language. The overall message and teaching of the Bible is clear enough for even the most simple, uneducated person to understand. And yet, there are many difficult passages.

This morning, we come to one of those passages. Galatians 4:21-31 is widely regarded as one of the most difficult passages in all of Paul’s letters to understand. But this is one of the wonderful blessings of verse-by-verse expositional preaching. You and I are forced out of our comfort zones to deal with difficult passages and wrestle with both their meaning and their application. This passage is challenging, but I believe that working through it will yield a greater love for God based on a greater understanding and appreciation of His grace as well as a sober but hopeful view of what those born of the promise can expect. — 10:30am at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes, Sermon audio

GALATIANS 4:21-31 — The Apostle Paul was a theologian. He studied God as God had revealed Himself through the Old Testament, through the person of Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit as He wrote to honor God and strengthen the church. Our God has chosen to reveal Himself most clearly through His Word, which is an immeasurable blessing to us, the church. God has revealed Himself through plain language. The overall message and teaching of the Bible is clear enough for even the most simple, uneducated person to understand. And yet, there are many difficult passages.

This morning, we come to one of those passages. Galatians 4:21-31 is widely regarded as one of the most difficult passages in all of Paul’s letters to understand. But this is one of the wonderful blessings of verse-by-verse expositional preaching. You and I are forced out of our comfort zones to deal with difficult passages and wrestle with both their meaning and their application. This passage is challenging, but I believe that working through it will yield a greater love for God based on a greater understanding and appreciation of His grace as well as a sober but hopeful view of what those born of the promise can expect. — 10:30am at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes, Sermon audio

The Apostle Paul was a theologian. He studied God as God had revealed Himself through the Old Testament, through the person of Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit as He wrote to honor God and strengthen the church. Our God has chosen to reveal Himself most clearly through His Word, which is an immeasurable blessing to us, the church. God has revealed Himself through plain language. The overall message and teaching of the Bible is clear enough for even the most simple, uneducated person to understand. And yet, there are many difficult passages.

This morning, we come to one of those passages. Galatians 4:21-31 is widely regarded as one of the most difficult passages in all of Paul’s letters to understand. But this is one of the wonderful blessings of verse-by-verse expositional preaching. You and I are forced out of our comfort zones to deal with difficult passages and wrestle with both their meaning and their application. This passage is challenging, but I believe that working through it will yield a greater love for God based on a greater understanding and appreciation of His grace as well as a sober but hopeful view of what those born of the promise can expect. >> Preached by Allen Duty on November 14th, 2010 at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon notes, Sermon audio

Series: True Freedom
Sermon: True Sons and Daughters of Abraham
Scripture: Galatians 4:21-31
Preacher: Allen Duty

Download: Sermon notes, Sermon audio

The Apostle Paul was a theologian. He studied God as God had revealed Himself through the Old Testament, through the person of Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit as He wrote to honor God and strengthen the church. Our God has chosen to reveal Himself most clearly through His Word, which is an immeasurable blessing to us, the church. God has revealed Himself through plain language. The overall message and teaching of the Bible is clear enough for even the most simple, uneducated person to understand. And yet, there are many difficult passages.

This morning, we come to one of those passages. Galatians 4:21-31 is widely regarded as one of the most difficult passages in all of Paul’s letters to understand. But this is one of the wonderful blessings of verse-by-verse expositional preaching. You and I are forced out of our comfort zones to deal with difficult passages and wrestle with both their meaning and their application. This passage is challenging, but I believe that working through it will yield a greater love for God based on a greater understanding and appreciation of His grace as well as a sober but hopeful view of what those born of the promise can expect.

Scripture: (Galatians 4:21-31, 2 Peter 3:16, Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 15:1-6, Genesis 16:1-6, Genesis 17:15-21, Genesis 21:1-10, Galatians 3:22-29, Matthew 3:7-10, John 3:3, John 8:31-38, 1 Peter 4:12-16, Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 8:31-39)
Preached from the English Standard Version^ESV of the Holy Bible at a 10:30am Sunday Worship service on November 14, 2010.

So far we have seen Paul give convincing evidence to the fact that we are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ and not by any works, through his personal testimony, through examples in the OT in the life Abraham and in the NT through the life of Jesus through the Gospel. It is the same God with the same message in both and it is that God who has shown His committed love to us by adopting us as His children. God chose us to be His and when we believe and accept the truth of the Gospel we are His forever.

In this next section we will again see Paul reveal his committed love much like that of a pastor for the Galatians by pleading with them to return to what they know to be true. We can hear the urgency and love in Paul’s voice from last week’s message as he said, “I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Tonight David Carroll from Gospel for Asia will be used by God to hopefully open our eyes to things that are going on past our normal area of focus. In America we tend to think that we have the answer to the world’s problems. We Do! His name is Jesus! But we also must recognize that God is at work mightily around the world. Often times we see the hand of God doing even greater things in other countries that seem to not have anything from our American perspective. God has blessed Americans with a major portion of the world’s wealth and with that blessing comes tremendous responsibility. I pray tonight that we would allow God to open our eyes in an effort to penetrate our hearts to ultimately result in some kind of action to be involved in ministry to the ends of the earth. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

I believe that James 1:27 calls caring for orphans in their distress “pure and undefiled” because every believer was once an orphan who was adopted by God into His family. God, at great cost, sought to make us his own children. He sent His one and only Son to bear the weight and penalty of our sin so that we could become adopted children of God.

As we discuss Galatians 3:26-4:11 today, we are going to consider three main points about believers as seen in this passage:

1. We are sons of God through faith in Christ
2. God chose to adopt us and be our Father
3. God’s call and character always beckon a response.

So, does the great the love and power of God that chose a wretched sinner like you and me to be a part of His family and bring Glory to His name require a response? Do you see the part you have to play in God’s grace being shown to the world? — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

A) God’s Promise Reflects His Character.

B) God’s Law Reveals Our Sinfulness.
1. Reminder of God’s Holiness and Our Sinfulness.
2. Law Must be Included in Gospel Proclamation.
3. God’s Standard has not Changed.
C) God’s Son Redeems His People.
— 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Today we are going to continue in our series “True Freedom” by examining how and why righteousness is only achieved through faith. As Paul defends the Gospel from false teachers, we see how true righteousness can only come from standing on God’s word. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

The fear of man leads to compromising the Gospel – exchanging the truth for a lie. The fear of God leads to upholding the truth in the face of opposition – whoever/whatever that may be. Justification by Faith is the only answer. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

There’s only one Gospel that’s going to make a difference in your life. It can take the best religious person or the worst sinner and transform them into a passionate worshipper and follower of Jesus Christ. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

This morning we will get to see in Galatians the apostle Paul passionately defend the Gospel that totally transformed his life. Paul knew that true freedom was found only in the true Gospel. Judaizers were confusing the Galatian believers and actually changing the Gospel by adding their laws to the Grace of God as a means to salvation. Even today many people are trying to work and earn their way to God. It just makes sense that if I do this I get that. The truth of the Gospel is that “it is by Grace that you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. Will you join Paul in the fight for “True Freedom” by living and defending the True Gospel? — 10:30am Sunday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

If we were totally honest with ourselves we would agree that the idea of vision is foreign to most of us. We usually go through life being tossed back and forth by emotions, circumstances and personal desires. We do what feels right or natural. We do things the way that they have always been done. We need direction. We need to be led. So why do we need vision? So that we will know and be focused on who we are and where we are going. And so that we can see where God is at work around us. Today we will be looking at our missio nand vision statements. Our world needs to see people of God who are sold out to what they believe. As we live our lives in front of others we always need to be ready to point them to our Savior and to tell them about the “Good News” of salvation. In doing that we are showing that we “Love God and Love People.” — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

The heartbeat of any organization is always seen in what type of things that it is devoted or committed to. It is no different in the church. The church is the tool that God has chosen to tell the world about His son. The world is looking at us to see how serious we are about our God. Sometimes we need to go back to the beginning to get a clearer picture of the future. Tonight we will look at the events and heart behind the starting of the first church. I am sure that all of us will be able to allow God to encourage us as well as challenge us to want more of Jesus than of the world. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

In this Psalm we are reminded of the remarkable fact that God knows every intimate detail of our lives and still loves us! We are also reminded about the way God tenderly created us and lovingly superintends every area of our lives – for our good and His glory! — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Many people ask this question: “Why can’t I just do Church at home?”. Are we setting our opinion so high that it is, in our minds, on equal footing with God? If God holds fellowship with believers with high regard, shouldn’t we? — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

When we think of fear we usually think of something negative. Fear is not something that we are all that excited to experience. Tonight we will be looking at the fear of the Lord as a good thing. Something that is even designed to bless us and make us happy. When we reverently and respectfully submit to God and His ways we are putting ourselves in a position for God to bless us more than we can even imagine. God knows each of our hearts better than we know them ourselves. Our loving God is ready and waiting to give us the desires of our heart if we will only delight in Him and fear Him. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

In Psalm 127 we will look at what it means to allow God to be the primary builder of our lives. Families establish homes and watchmen guard cities, but both these activities are ineffective unless God is in them. A family without God can never experience the spiritual bond God brings to relationships. A city without God will crumble from evil and corruption on the inside. Don’t make the mistake of leaving God out of your life, make him your highest priority and let him do the building. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

How often do we boast about our God? If we truly believe that Jesus Christ has lifted the burden of our sins, we should shine our light for all the world to see. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Tonight in Psalm 98 we are being called to worship and praise our amazing and almighty God. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

In both positive and negative ways, everyone who claims Christ as their Lord and Savior, makes some kind of difference on the kingdom of God. You are either leading people towards or away from God, so your life matters whether you want it to or not. That’s God’s plan! Today’s message is my attempt to refocus you as a local church to reconsider every activity, expenditure, ministry, leisure, investment, priority, passion and decision, both personally and corporately, against the backdrop of eternity and the clear teaching of the Bible. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Tonight in Psalm 78 we will be taking a walk through history. This may not sound fun and exciting to some of you, but this is a history lesson that is more than just information. It is the word of God! It is an account written by Asaph to remind all of us today of the things that happened in the past in order that we might learn from them, believe that they really happened and apply the lessons we learn to our lives and to tell future generations. We are a forgetful people; we often need to be reminded of things that we have already been taught. As Christians we forget the magnitude of the things that God has done. We all have a history and we should learn from it and teach others to that they will appreciate all of what God has done and possibly not make the same mistakes we did. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

We have the opportunity to focus on many things. In this life there are many distractions that are designed by Satan to get our eyes off of God or at the least give us a distorted picture of God. Even the strongest believer can lost their focus if they begin to look at things around them and evaluate them from a human or worldly perspective. That is why we need the word of God and the Spirit of God as our guide and standard and a source of encouragement to help us continue when things get confusing. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

When things get hard, we might tend to take our eyes off of God and His truth and focus on what is going wrong and how you can fix it. I believe that the battle is often won or lost in the mind, and if you and I don’t discipline our minds to respond Biblically when trials come then we are setting ourselves up for failure and disobedience and sin. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Tonight we will be looking at a psalm written by David after he had really blown it. We will see David humbly coming before God for forgiveness and restoration. He is appealing to one of the attributes of God that we all have access to. His mercy. We serve a God who is full of mercy, grace and love and does not wish to hurt or harm us but because He is Holy can’t allow us to fellowship with Him with sin in our lives. He has made all the provisions that we need to have and maintain an intimate relationship with Him through the blood of Jesus and confession. My prayer is that we will see what our sin does to our relationship with God but more importantly see a loving and merciful God who is ready to restore us. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

It’s to love God when things are going great, but unless it is by His spirit we will never think to praise God when things are going bad. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Today, we are going to look at how healthy marriages have been set up to function like Christ and the church. Again, marriage is to be a living display of the love relationship between Christ and His bride the Church. We recognize that God is God and we are not, yet, in marriage, society and even our personalities may work against the concept of the husband being the leader and the wife being the helper in marriage. Even in the church, marriages are not functioning in a healthy way because passive husbands will not lead or are not allowed to by an aggressive wife. Today we are going to learn the structure for how God intends marriages to function well. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

This verse is believed by some to be the best summary of what husbands and wives need from each other. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

The heavens have been declaring God’s glory since He spoke them into existence. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

As we continue in our series “Seeing God” Through the Psalms, my prayer for you tonight is that you will begin to get an idea of how big our God really is. When we begin to see how big God is the  little things we go through become smaller. Knowing that the God that created the universe cares for me should result in an amazing sense of worth and praise and worship. God’s desire is for us to know Him in an intimate and personal way. He wants to be “Our God.” He left Heaven and came to earth so that He could have a relationship with you. There are so many attributes of our amazing God that He is virtually indescribable. The heavens above do a great job declaring how big and awesome our God is. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

What comes to your mind as you consider God? We will spend a significant amount of time in the Psalms in hopes that God’s Word can train us towards a larger view of our God. We desire to regard Him in every area of our lives, to gaze upon His ways and works, to develop an accurate view of His justice and grace as we learn to live honestly and wisely like the Psalmists of old. The majesty, greatness and tender grace of God will bring us to grips with our God in ways that we have never really come to know Him. This will be a call to worship God that purposely follows a great call to authenticity through the Sermon on the Mount. Today we look at Psalm 1 as we are encourage to choose to live life under the blessings our God promises to the Godly. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

J.J. Ramirez of Save Our Streets Ministries preaches on attracting the presence of God and being a representative of Christ in a fallen world. We need the presence of God more than we need anything else. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Tonight we are finishing up the series by asking what we will do in response to what Jesus has revealed in His Sermon on the Mount. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Tonight’s message asks that we examine ourselves and what we know about Jesus, and how we can be assured of what our relationship is with Him. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Tonight’s sermon starts with a video reminding us of what the true Gospel is and is not about. This message builds on last week where we looked at the two roads people can take in life, to righteousness or ruin. We will continue this tonight by examining what makes something righteous or ruinous. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Last week we studied about actively pursuing God, and today we really need to take a step back to take inventory of our life. We need to be absolutely sure we are on the road that leads to heaven. Many people think that they are going to heaven, but many of them are deceived. But how is this distinction made? How can you know if you truly are a follower of Christ? Many people today claim to believe in Jesus. We must not be confused between believing in Jesus and following Jesus. Believing does not always equal to a real embracing of Christ that leads to eternal life. There are two choices to be made, and two destinations with both roads declaring the way to heaven. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

All through this series “True Righteousness Revealed”, we have been challenged to examine our hearts, our motives and in a number of areas our actions. I know that for me it has been an amazing time of growth and encouragement. Jesus’ view of what is truly righteous often is in direct contrast to what we feel and think is right. Humans by nature are very self centered and self sufficient. We think that we can figure things out ourselves. Left to ourselves, we “store up for ourselves treasures on earth”. We worry about our life and focus on our circumstances, allowing the sin of worry to rob us of our intimacy with our Lord. And like we learned last week, when we fail to recognize sin in our own lives we do not even have the ability to make right judgments. To make right judgments we need to first check ourselves and then actively pursue our God through fervent prayer. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Judgmental people will misquote part of today’s passage. “The Bible says, do not judge!” “You’re so judgmental!” “Judge not, lest you be judged.” We live in an age of tolerance. “You do your thing and I will do mine.” “I won’t judge you so you don’t judge me.” Christians throughout the ages have been accused of being intolerant, narrow minded, even judgmental when it comes to absolute moral truth. If you believe today that there is absolute moral right and wrong, then you are intolerant and judgmental even to some in the Church. Isn’t that judging? — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Last week Butch Smith preached on what true Biblical stewardship looks like. Tonight we look at why the challenging issue of “worry” should not be a problem if we put all of our trust in God. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

As we continue our series “True Righteousness Revealed” we take a look at what we should be investing ourselves and our possessions in. You cannot serve both God and money! — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

It is vital to this body of believers that we continually evaluate why we do what we do. Satan is a great distracter and we are easily distracted. We get out of alignment from time to time.

“A car out of alignment is hard to keep on the road, it wears out tires and other parts and eventually may crash. Without vision alignment, the people are busy doing something. They are driving along, doing church, but without any direction and are easily pulled off center. They are moving with no destination in mind. Without a compelling vision, people, just like tires, quickly wear themselves out.” – Craig Groeshell “It”. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

As we approach the new year, we tend to examine ourselves and want to make things better. But when we lose sight of our mission to bring glory to our Father, we may not be portraying a worthy example for Christ. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

The Christmas season is a time for us as Christians to celebrate the birth of our amazing Savior. The impact of what God did through that birth is the most amazing thing that we could ever imagine. Out of love for us God Himself left heaven and came to earth to rescue us from the penalty and power that sin had over us. The reality of that is what makes this night special. Tonight is all about Jesus. It should also motivate us to want to worship our God and share the good news with those who don’t know our Savior. Christmas should be all about Jesus. So tonight we will be looking at the birth of Jesus, and we will also be introduced to Jesus by one of his closest friends, and finally, we will see Jesus introduce Himself through God’s Word. Tonight we want to introduce you to our God and Savior Jesus Christ. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Harold Johnson is a missionary living in the Czech Republic. He is here tonight to speak about what is happening in the world and in his specific ministry within the scope of Christianity. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Last week we saw Jesus start the chapter with a warning to “Be careful.” He is warning us to be careful that we do not give in to our culture and settle for less than God has intended for His children. If we do things His way there will be rewards. He warns us not to do our acts of righteousness to be seen by men. But like the loving Father He is, He does not give us a challenge that He does not show us how to overcome. Tonight in the area of prayer and fasting Jesus shows us in His Word how to pray and fast in a way that pleases Him. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Through this series, we have seen Jesus present us with impossibilities to achieve on our own. Every impossibility presented to us by Christ is designed to bring us to Him, because they are only impossible for us to do on our own. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Loving by God’s standard compels us to love as Christ. Christ loved all people, even his enemies. When we love by God’s standard it goes against society and every fiber of our being. In order to mimic the love of Christ we must be prepared to sacrifice and deny ourselves. Jesus loved us when we were his enemy (Romans 5:10). Our nature rebels against what Jesus is saying, but when we carry out this command it demonstrates the love of God in us and God’s existance (1 John 4:12). — 6:00pm Saturday Worship at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

“You Are” the salt of the earth. “You Are” the light of the world. This is a proclamation from Jesus that told the disciples and anyone else who would accept His teaching that they were in this world for a purpose. Salt is designed by God to be salty, and light is designed by God to shine. Tonight in God’s Word we see that as God’s chosen people we are designed to have an impact on the world around us. No matter whether you acknowledge it or not, the same God that spoke the world into existence is declaring that you are salt and light. The question is how salty and bright are you?Due to technical issues, this sermon is difficult to hear. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

We must allow God to lead us, because if we lead ourselves we will go nowhere. — St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Allen Palermo starts our three-part series on Vision, our mission statement and why it is important to have a vision as a church. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Today’s sermon deals with justice and judgement, from God’s perspective. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

David Medina shares some insight from Malachi 3. We apologize for the quality of this audio. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Note: Sermon is a re-posting of New Life Baptist Church’s podcast for this evening. Sorry for any inconvenience! — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 10:30am Sunday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. —6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Pastor Butch Smith visits Living Hope Bryan to preach on what true biblical love looks like. — 6:00pm at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

— 6:00pm Saturday WorshipSt. Michael’s Academy

Pastor Allen Palermo addresses the church about why our church, Living Hope Baptist Church of Bryan, exists and what our mission is. — 6:00pm at St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio

Allen Palermo preaches on how we should be mindful of how we live our lives as an example of Christ. — 6:00pm Saturday Worship St. Michael’s Academy

Download: Sermon audio